Elysia, "I will be back for dinner!" His voice was warm yet firm as he pressed a feathery kiss against my mark. The familiar sensation sent shivers down my spine, but before I could fully savor it, he had already grabbed his suitcase. "Another town visit?" I asked while fixing his tie, my fingers smoothing over the fabric with practiced ease. "Yes. We must find those parts of the book!" His eyes gleamed with determination as he allowed me to adjust the knot properly. "I will let you know if I find the wizard or witch nearby!" I gave a quiet nod, his scent wrapping around me like a comforting embrace. Just standing this close to him made me crave his presence even more. "Be home early. I will wait for you," I murmured, my voice softer than I intended. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he stole a quick kiss. "Okay, I am off!" I followed him to the main entrance, my steps slow as I watched him leave. Alex was already waiting by the doorway with the car, standing
Hades, The scent of baked coffee mixed with something unfamiliar hit my nose the moment I stepped into the old boutique. The dim lighting cast shadows over the wooden furniture, and porcelain dolls lined the shelves, their empty eyes watching in silence. To the untrained eye, this place might seem like nothing more than an antique shop, but I knew better. Something in the air felt ancient. Powerful. As I scanned the room, footsteps approached. An old man… sixty years old, left leg injured. I didn’t turn immediately, letting the presence behind me settle. The scent of age and faint traces of medicine clung to the air around him, blending with the wood and dust of the shop. "Welcome," a frail voice greeted. Slowly, I turned to see him leaning on a cane, his posture slightly bent with age. Despite his weak frame, there was a sharpness in his gaze, a knowing glint that told me he wasn’t just an ordinary shopkeeper. He studied me, taking in my presence with a look of mil
The old man’s directions had led me here, to the outskirts of the city, to a place where time seemed to have withered into the past. The road twisted, narrow and cracked, winding through an oppressive silence that felt thick enough to touch. The air itself grew colder as I approached, charged with an energy that had long been dormant in the world of the living.And then I saw it—the chapel.It was a shadow of its former self, standing on the edge of the world, as if forgotten by both man and God. The doors, once grand, now hung ajar, groaning as they protested against the intrusion of time. A sense of foreboding filled the air, thickening with each step I took toward it.I pushed the door open, the rusted hinges screeching in protest, and entered.The chapel was empty, save for the remnants of a faith that had long since abandoned this place. The candles, barely flickering, cast long shadows on the walls. The altar stood broken, cracked stone and stained glass that had lost its color.
The moment I stepped through the door, the air shifted. It wasn’t just colder—it was heavier, charged with something ancient and unseen. The dim candlelight behind me flickered once before vanishing, swallowed by the thick, unnatural darkness stretching before me. The scent of old parchment and damp stone filled my lungs as I moved forward, my steps echoing against the unseen walls. My eyes adjusted to the shadows, though there was little to see. A narrow corridor stretched ahead, leading deeper into whatever cursed place Zvor-Arok had hidden The Knowledge. I didn’t hesitate. The door behind me sealed shut with a quiet thud, but I didn’t turn back. I had no intention of retreating. Then, a voice. Soft. Feminine. But it wasn’t Zvor-Arok’s. "You shouldn’t be here."I stopped. My fingers twitched at my sides, ready for an attack. "Who’s there?" I demanded, my voice steady. Silence. A trick, then. I wasn’t foolish enough to be rattled by whispers in the dark. I continu
I walked in behind her, my steps measured, but steady. The woman in front of me seemed to hold herself together with sheer force of will. Yet, despite her composed appearance, I could sense the faint tremor of her nerves. She hadn’t expected this. That much was obvious. She had been guarding something she didn’t understand, and now, as she led me deeper into the unknown, her fear was becoming palpable. It lingered in the air between us, thickening with every step. The corridor grew narrower as we moved forward, the walls lined with stone that seemed to absorb the light, making the passage darker with each moment. The woman began to cough, the sound harsh in the stillness. Her breath quickened, and she clutched her chest, as if the air itself was becoming too heavy for her to breathe.I didn’t pause. I didn’t care about her discomfort. Elysia would be waiting for me back home. I had no intention of wasting time here, nor did I care for whatever mystery this place held. I had come
Elysia,Elaine, an office worker, had moved into a small cottage nearby. Although it raised many questions, I decided not to dwell on it. People here had no idea about our true identity. As I poured coffee into her cup, her voice filled the room with an endless stream of conversation. She seemed talkative, but I listened patiently, keeping my responses minimal. “Mommy! Mommy, I’m done with my homework!” A bright voice interrupted Elaine, and I turned just in time to see Ruby dashing out of her room, her small feet tapping against the floor. She ran toward me, excitement shining in her crimson eyes, and without hesitation, jumped into my arms. “Slowly!” I chuckled as I caught her effortlessly, wrapping her in a firm but gentle embrace. She grinned, holding up her notebook proudly. “Look at this! I finished my homework!” I took a quick glance at her work before placing a kiss on her forehead. “You did great, sweetheart.” Elaine’s eyes widened slightly as she observed Ruby.
Hades,"You… you are the Vampire King!" The woman’s voice trembled slightly, a mixture of disbelief and awe flickering in her widened eyes. She took a step back, her gaze darting across my form as I shifted into my true appearance. "Why are you here for an incomplete book instead of staying in your own realm?" she asked, her tone carrying a hint of judgment. I barely spared her a glance. "I don’t think I owe you an explanation." Without hesitation, I reached down and lifted the creature off the ground as though it weighed nothing. It dangled helplessly in my grip, its body limp, its form flickering between human and something else. The woman’s expression darkened for an instant before she snapped her fingers. Immediately, the room around us shifted—candles flared to life, their flames flickering with an eerie glow, while ancient lamps along the walls bathed the space in a dim golden light. Shadows danced across the stone floor, stretching and shifting as if they were alive
The moment the burning pain seared through my neck, I knew something had happened to Elysia. It wasn’t a normal discomfort—it was a visceral, gut-wrenching sensation, like something had ripped through the bond that connected us. My chest tightened as my instincts roared in warning. I turned sharply to the shape-shifter, who was still staring at me with wide, confused eyes. "Follow me. Now." My voice left no room for hesitation. He nodded quickly, sensing the urgency in my tone. I didn’t spare Claire another glance. She might have been lying about her identity, but right now, she was the least of my concerns. Without wasting another second, I summoned my powers, reaching into the void of darkness. The air around me crackled as shadows coiled at my feet, stretching and twisting like living entities. Then, with a sharp command, the shadows expanded, engulfing both me and the shape-shifter. The world around us blurred. Then, in a heartbeat, we were gone. ---The moment I mater
I was stunned when he said it.His voice had been quiet, almost hesitant, but the weight of his words struck me like a storm breaking over calm waters.He knew. He knew about my second chance at life.That impossible secret I had buried deep inside me, locked beneath layers of silence and fear—he had just spoken it aloud like it was nothing. Like it was normal. Like it didn’t change everything.I wanted to ask how. I wanted to understand. But I couldn’t focus on him anymore.Because the Dark Stone was pulsing in my hand.A deep, thrumming beat—slow and relentless. It wasn’t just a stone. It felt alive. And with every passing second, it dug deeper, pressing its will into my skin, into my blood, until I could feel it crawling through my veins like smoke made of shadow.It whispered to me."Power. Corruption. Madness."The words slithered through my thoughts like snakes, coiling tightly around the parts of me I didn’t want to acknowledge—the anger, the grief, the desperation. It knew who
Elysia,The moment the figure stepped into the moonless clearing, I knew we weren’t alone. Something ancient stirred in the shadows—its hunger palpable, its gaze unseen but heavy on my skin.I tightened my hold on Hades, but my eyes remained ahead, locked on the figure cloaked in midnight. Around us, the darkness pulsed with unnatural rhythm, and one by one, more emerged—cloaked beings, their hands already crackling with magic.Wizards. No... sorcerers. Old ones.They formed a circle, trapping us in a ring of glowing runes etched into the ground. Their faces were hidden beneath deep hoods, but I could feel their magic thrumming like a war drum—primordial, malicious.The sky was darker than we remembered.. The lightning was displaying like a hired actor in the distance. Hades bared his fangs, his eyes glowing crimson with fury as his wings spread wide behind him. The air turned colder with every breath he took, shadows rippling outward from his feet.“We’re surrounded,” I muttered, st
I thought the night would be spent without incident, peacefully, as it always should. Elysia was in my arms, warm and relaxed, her body pressed against mine. We slept in that timeless, serene way, until the sound came—unnatural, strange, slicing through the quiet like a scream from the past. My eyes snapped open, heart racing. It wasn't the usual sounds of the night. Not the wind rustling through the trees or the distant hoot of an owl. This was different—something far more sinister. It caught my attention immediately, and as I tried to focus on the source, I heard voices outside, growing louder, laced with panic. Elysia stirred beside me, half-awake, her fingers curling around me instinctively. She was still groggy, but the unease in the air seemed to drag her from sleep. I felt her body shift as she clung to me, her breath warm against my chest. “What is it?” she murmured, barely awake, but already sensing the shift in the atmosphere. I opened the window, the cold night air bitin
Hades,The horses’ hooves echoed in the stillness of the night as we made our way toward the village. The forest around us seemed to watch, as if holding its breath. Elysia had been quiet for hours now, her usual confidence replaced with something softer, something I couldn't quite place.I turned my gaze to her, watching as her eyes scanned the path ahead, her back straight and poised. The way the moonlight caught her hair made her look ethereal, as if she didn’t belong to this world at all. After discovering our identity, we decided to shift to our original form except letting our Wolf roam freely. Otherwise the witches would spot us. I hated that she’d been forced into this situation. I hated that she’d taken parts of The Knowledge, to protect me. But I’d never been one to ask for explanations—not when the truth was hidden so far beneath the surface.The road wound toward the small village, nestled in the valley like some forgotten corner of the world. There was something quiet
Unknown's POV,"Haris is burned to death?" My voice was calm, or I thought I was calm. However, every vein in my body was screaming.Haris, one of my trusted people, died? By whom? A young woman? This was unacceptable."We found no more traces of that woman. However—" Kaelan hesitated, pulling out a handkerchief from his robes —" We have found traces of abnormality in these ashes. It wasn’t a witch or wizard's flame."He opened the cloth in his palm and revealed a pile of fine, dark ashes. They were unremarkable at first glance, but the moment I stepped closer, I felt it. That strange hum in the air. The unsettling vibration that laced the magic left behind.My eyes widened. In a world ruled by witches and wizards, what kind of flame could reduce someone like Haris to ash in seconds?I reached out and took a pinch between my fingers. The moment the ashes touched my skin, a violent surge ran up my arm. It wasn't pain—it was a shock, a jolt of power so foreign and dark that my muscles r
My heart sank when the dark shadows shrouded the sky, surrounding us like a layer of thin black polythene. At first it felt like our soul had been deprived by something stronger, heavier and suffocating. But that feeling soon disappeared when Bryan's hand reached my shoulder. " Who are you?" He whispered, " It seems like you are their target. Are you running away from someone? Be honest with me if you want to stay alive!" He warned with a shiver-sending coldness. However I could feel the edge of the concern and genuine worry in his tone. My palms sweated as I grabbed the leather jacket that I was wearing. The night was cold and it was freezing my body. But the tension felt unbearably suffocating. " I...!"" If I am not wrong!" The person in the shadow, wearing a black robe and a book on his hand, cut my words... " You are Master Bryan from the front line Border area!" His voice was condescending. His eyes glistened with a distinct red flickering. A sharp light came out of the bo
He had Two different colors like Hades had. But before I could ask, the color changed. And, The fortress shook violently. I didn’t know what to expect.The roots, those monstrous, writhing tendrils of darkness, seemed to be multiplying with each passing second. The air was thick with dread, suffocating, as if the fortress itself were alive, breathing down on us, caging us in. I could feel the walls closing in, the air getting heavier.Bryan didn’t wait. He moved, swift and deadly, like a shadow. The shimmering blade in his hand cut through the chaos around us, the magic crackling with energy, searing the air. Sparks flew in every direction, the sound of blades slicing through the air mingling with the guttural growls of the creatures encircling us.I watched him for a split second, too transfixed by his movement—his grace, his power—before I forced myself to snap out of it.Focus.I drew my dagger, its cold metal steady in my grip, though my hands trembled slightly. The trembling ha
Elysia,Within ten seconds, we were no longer in the dark chamber that held the Breath of the Dark Stone. The moment we inhaled it, everything shifted. Now, we stood before an enormous fortress, its towering walls strangled by thick vines of thornbane—a plant I recognized instantly. Black thorns curled outward like claws, and tongue-shaped violet blossoms swayed as if breathing. The very air felt hostile.The burning sensation in our throats had dulled, but the aftertaste of magic lingered like smoke in our lungs. We didn’t know how we got here, but it was clear—this place was nowhere near safe.Thornbane. Poisonous. Paralyzing. Hallucinogenic.I remembered its profile from Grandma Aurora’s herb book. One brush of its thorns could freeze the lungs, make you hallucinate until your heart gave out. People didn’t survive thornbane. It survived them.I scanned the environment, instincts prickling. Bryan stood beside me, silent, his face turned toward the fortress that looked like it had be
Elysia, When they dragged me through the castle corridor, I expected shackles. Maybe a blade to my throat. At the very least, a magical seal to silence me. Like that wizard threw a flaming arrow towards me. But instead, they gave me to him.Bryan Archerys.The infamous Archerys. From the knowledge I could gather, Bryan Archerys was the Master of the Wizards in the borderline town. One of the strongest and perverted Man. I thought I would have to show my real identity to escape. I hadn’t known what to expect—rumors were like poisoned honey in the wind, each whisper sweeter and more lethal than the last. But nothing could’ve prepared me for that room, or him.His presence was a thick shadow. The kind that clung to your bones even after you left the room. When our eyes first met, something deep inside me recoiled. It wasn’t fear, exactly. It was… something older. Something rooted.And now, as we rode together through the blackened woods toward the Dark Stone, that shadow rode with me.